The day before the end of the session, House Republicans made major changes to the capital outlay legislation in the House Ways and Means Committee. The next day, the legislation passed the House with less than 20 minutes to go in the session and was never heard in the Senate before the chamber adjourned sine die at noon.

Capital outlay pays for public works projects throughout the state, which aids construction companies and others.

Associated General Contractors of New Mexico, Associated Builders and Contractors, NAIOP and Albuquerque Economic Development have all signed letters this week encouraging the governor to call a special session to pass a new capital outlay bill. Contractors in particular are worried the lack of capital spending in the state this year will cost their industry thousands of jobs.

The Albuquerque Journal reported on a speech Martinez made this week to one of those business groups:

However, she said if Democratic leaders in the Senate commit to working with her to develop and pass a capital outlay bill, she would consider a special session. Without that commitment, Martinez said, there was no point in holding one.

Senate Majority Leader Michael Sanchez, D-Belen, said Senate Democrats would be open to a special session but only if “the Governor is serious about coming to a compromise.”

“The Senate’s bill must be the starting point for negotiations, because it was the only plan that had bipartisan support,” Sanchez said. “Both Republicans and Democrats in the Senate rallied around that bill and passed it 40-1. That kind of spirit – doing what is best for the people of our state, politics aside – will be absolutely necessary for a special session to be worth it.”

Martinez has only called one special session during her time in office, a change from her predecessor Bill Richardson who called six special sessions. Gary Johnson, who preceded Richardson, also frequently called special sessions.

Martinez’s special session was in 2011 and focused on redistricting. She added other items to the call, but Democratic leadership in each chamber decided to only hear legislation related to redistricting.

Correction:

This post was updated to show that the vote was 40-0 on capital outlay in the Senate, not 40-1.

The state Senate narrowly approved a bill Thursday that would require just about anyone buying a firearm to undergo a background check. This legislation has been a priority for gun control advocates, but all 16 Republicans and four Democrats in the Senate said it would not prevent the sort of mass shootings that have spurred calls for such laws.

Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller this week told city police officers to stop the city’s DWI vehicle seizure program. Under existing ordinance, the police department can impound vehicles after DWI arrests, but before the driver has been convicted.

The New Mexico House of Representatives rejected the Senate's proposed budget on Wednesday, raising objections related to teacher pay, road funding and the pension plan for public employees. The differences are not insurmountable, leaders in both chambers insisted, but they delayed final action on a whopping $7 billion spending plan.

Governors typically come into office with high expectations, after telling voters what legislation they’ll ensure passes to improve the state. But they can run into one major challenge: the state legislature.

Holtec International was in the news last month when the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission denied requests from some groups to hold an additional hearing over the company’s license to build an interim storage site in southeastern New Mexico to hold nuclear waste from commercial power plants.

Matthew Reichbach is the editor of the NM Political Report. The former founder and editor of the NM Telegram, Matthew was also a co-founder of New Mexico FBIHOP with his brother and one of the original hires at the groundbreaking website the New Mexico Independent. Matthew has covered events such as the Democratic National Convention and Netroots Nation and formerly published, “The Morning Word,” a daily political news summary for NM Telegram and the Santa Fe Reporter.
Matthew has appeared as a panelist for the Society of Professional Journalists’ New Mexico Chapter’s panel on covering New Mexico politics and the legislature.
A native New Mexican from Rio Rancho, Matthew’s family has been in New Mexico since the 1600s.